The final day of the 2025 legislative session in British Columbia brought a dramatic culmination to months of internal conflict within the B.C. Conservative Party. John Rustad, who maintains he is still the party’s leader, found himself effectively squeezed out as the Conservative board announced he had been removed. Their justification: the majority of caucus members had voted against him, rendering him “professionally incapacitated” to continue in the role.
The chaos played out in real time, with duelling news scrums inside the legislature. Supporters of Rustad confronted those backing Surrey–White Rock MLA Trevor Halford, whom the party’s board declared as interim leader. While the party’s board and official communications have aligned with Halford, Rustad flatly rejects their move, insisting they lack the authority to remove him. He posted publicly mocking the board’s choice of language, calling the claim of incapacitation “creative terminology” and insisting that “nothing has changed.”
With the session over, there is no immediate requirement for Speake Raj Chouhan to determine who will officially be recognized as Opposition Leader in the chamber. That decision, like the leadership itself, remains suspended in uncertainty. Political observers note that Rustad’s downfall stems less from ideological division than from fractured management and strained relationships. The Conservatives encompass a wide ideological spectrum — from former B.C. United figures to populist organizers and political newcomers. Analysts say Rustad struggled to manage such a volatile blend, alienating members across all factions. According to MLAs who departed or were forced out prior to Wednesday’s showdown, the break with Rustad was cumulative, tied to ongoing leadership tensions rather than policy.
Some describe Rustad as lacking steady direction and prone to missteps in caucus management, weaknesses made untenable in an already combustible party structure. While comparisons to palace intrigue and satire abounded online, the standoff ends without resolution — setting the stage for a fraught leadership saga when the legislature returns and the party decides the next arc of its internal power struggle.
